Some People Are Like Slinkies
by thesecondmouse
Summary: "Some people are like Slinkies; not really good for much, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs." That's how Will feels about Gabriel. And Will does smile after pushing Gabriel down the stairs, until he realized that Gabriel accidentally took someone else down with him. Herongray/Wessa, SophiexGideon
1. Chapter 1

**This story is based off the phrase "Some people are like Slinkies; not really good for much, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs."**

**All of these wonderful characters (to whom I will try to do justice) belong to Cassandra Clare.**

**Gabriel says some things in this fanfiction that I didn't enjoy writing and hope you don't enjoy reading. I'm sorry if it offends or upsets anyone.**

**Also, this is my first attempt at fanfiction. Please forgive my mistakes, but feel free to point them out.**

"So, are you planning on actually showing up to any of your classes this year?"

Jem and Will were sitting in one of the window alcoves on the second floor of the old building of the University. Will looked at his friend, who hadn't even looked up from his class outline, studying his intentions.

"I might," Will replied. It wasn't that he didn't like learning things, he just didn't like class. Will often skipped and went to sit in the library instead. Jem knew this, but still tried to get him to attend the classes he was at the university to take. Jem had tried several things the year before; he'd reasoned, he'd asked nicely, he'd bribed, he'd even tried to threaten, but then he hadn't really expected that to work to begin with.

"I won't try to force you. This year, if you fail out, it will be no one's fault but your own." Jem said. He wasn't angry or exasperated, he just stated it as fact.

Will nodded in acknowledgement, but turned to start out the window. They sat like that for a while, Will staring into space and Jem reading about his classes. Neither boy moved until a loud voice interrupted their companionable silence.

"Oh, how lovely. Everyone's favourite couple, all tangled up in a window seat together. Adorable."

Gabriel Lightwood was a prick and pretty much everyone knew it. Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from being able to get under Will's skin.

"Oh, so we're taking the gay angle today, are we, Gabriel?" Will said, rolling his eyes. Jem stayed silent, but looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, well, it's clear who wears the pants in this relationship." Jem, whose cheeks were already slightly pink from Gabriel's first comment, now turned a darker shade of red. Will stood up, indignant on his friend's behalf.

"What the hell is your problem, Lightworm?" Will spat through his teeth, trying to control himself.

"I don't have a problem. There's just no way that the two of you are just friends when I'm sure you swing both ways and when we both know your friend over there is a twink."

Will went at him before he finished his word.

The two boys wrestled and punched their way down the short hallway. They were fairly evenly matched, but Will, even in his anger, was the tactician. He moved the fight forward, keeping his destination in front of him and behind Gabriel. When they were finally in place, Will dodged Gabriel's punch, throwing him off balance, and then tripped him as he tried to regain it. Gabriel slipped and started to tumble down the stairs.

Will figured that the fall wouldn't hurt Gabriel. Much. Nothing permanent, at the very least. Gabriel would only have a couple of stairs before he hit the landing. Will walked off in the other direction, off to find Jem, with a small smile on his face. That smile was short lived, though. Around the time he thought Gabriel would stop tumbling, he heard a shriek followed by more crashing. He knew that the shriek hadn't come from Gabriel.

Will ran back to the top of the staircase to see what had happened. Sure enough, Lightworm was lying on the landing, but he was staring in horror down the other flight of stairs. Will ran past him down to the main floor, where he found a girl, curled into a ball on the ground.

"Are you okay?" He breathed, afraid to be too loud or scare the girl further.

Will heard the girl moan softly as she stretched out her legs. She turned her head to look at him. Her eyes meet his.

"I've been better," she says honestly.

Will lets out something resembling a laugh. She wasn't dead, she wasn't unconscious, and she seemed to be alert enough to joke. He stops laughing as the girl raises her eyebrows.

"Sorry," Will says. "Where are you hurt."

"Kind of… everywhere, but I think my arm got the worst of it. Will looked down at the girl's wrist, and sure enough it had begun to swell and was a very tender colour of pink.

"We should probably get you to the infirmary."

The girl nodded, but then closed her eyes leaned her head back against the stone wall. After a moment, her wide grey eyes opened again, and she moved to stand up. Will helped her up carefully, and was ready to leave for the infirmary with her, until he remember Jem.

Will looked at the girl, and shot her an apologetic look. "Thirty seconds, I just need to check on my friend." Will raced back up the stairs. "Jem!" He yelled, running right past Gabriel for the second time. He reached the top of the stairs, and there was no one in sight. "James?" Will called. There was no answer. Will sighed and ran back to the girl.

Will looked at her, and she looked back at him.

And then she passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Tessa woke up in the university infirmary. She had a headache, and she hurt _everywhere_. She tried to figure out why, but it all seemed kind of fuzzy for a little while. She turned over in the bed at saw someone sitting in the chair next to it. He stood up when he realized she was awake.

She stared at him and blinked. Suddenly she felt very self-conscious; there was an absolutely gorgeous boy with black curls and eyes bluer than any she'd ever seen. And he had been sitting by her bedside watch her while she was unconscious.

"What the hell is going on?" Tessa asked when she was able to speak.

The book looked at her with concern on his face. And something akin to embarrassment. "You, uh, fell down the stairs. You passed out. You're in the infirmary now."

"And you are… what, the guy that pushed me?" The boy got all flustered and started stammering how of course he hadn't pushed her until he saw that she was smiling.

"I was kidding. Knowing me, I tripped over my own two feet. But what brings you here?"

"I found you at the bottom of the stairs."  
>Tessa tried to nod, but her splitting headache immediately got worse. She let out a small gasp. The boy was beside her in an instant.<p>

"Are you okay?" He really did look concerned. "I should get the nurse, now that you're awake. Try not to die in my absence."

Tessa stuck her tongue out, afraid that anything more might cause her to black out again. The boy grinned.

Two hours later, Tessa was being released with written instructions for her roommate to follow, detailing the care procedure for Tessa, who had a mild concussion and shouldn't be left alone. They boy had stayed at the infirmary the whole time, which gave her a warm feeling that she was decidedly blaming on the concussion. She had found out that his name was William, but that everyone called him Will. She was confused as to why he hadn't left yet, but he patiently waited with her until the doctor said that she could go.

They left the infirmary together.

"Really, I'm fine to walk home by myself. My roommate will be there when I get back and I'll do everything the doctor said. I don't want you to inconvenience yourself."

Will shook his head. "I won't hear of it. I'm the one who found you at the bottom of the stairs and I'll be the one to see you safely home. After all, what kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn't?" Will gave a mock bow.

Tessa smothered a laugh and consented. They walked in silence for a while.

"So," Will said, "I saw that you were reading The Lamplighter. Please tell me you don't read while walking; you're enough of a danger to the public as it is."

Tessa settled for a scowl, though her heart wasn't in it. "And I suppose you're above reading."

"I'm above reading stuff like that. Honestly; it's all suffering and "spiritual growth"."

Tessa's whole face lit up. "You've read it!"

"Of course I've read it, but it was hardly worth the time. I prefer something like the Castle of Otranto."

"Of course. You like the one about the giant helmet falling from the sky."

"You forgot the part where the two men want to marry each other's daughters."

Tessa shook her head softly and they both stopped walking. They'd arrived at her residence.

"Thank you for everything, Will. I appreciate it." Tessa smiled at the beautiful boy.

Will bowed again. "Of course, Miss. Anything for a damsel in distress."

Tessa rolled her eyes, and walked to her door. Just before entering, she turned back.

"For the record, I hate the Lamplighter, too."

Will grinned.

Tessa walked up to her room and collapsed on her bed. Sophie was across the room, reading. "Hello. Someone's had an eventful day."

"Hmm?" Tessa said. Sophie tapped her wrist, reminding Tessa of the cast on hers. "Oh. Right. I, um, fell down some stairs. I also have a bit of a concussion." Tessa rummaged through her bag until she found the instructions and handed them to her friend. Tessa came across the Lamplighter. She noticed a piece of paper sticking out from the top.

_Tessa,_

_I hope that next time we meet it will be under better circumstances._

_Where, if at all possible, you will be conscious. _

_And reading a better book._

_Sincerely,_

_Will Herondale_

Tessa lay down, closed her eyes, and figured she had smiled way to many times in the past few hours considering the circumstances. She smiled again.


	3. Chapter 3

Tessa was beautiful. And Will couldn't stop noticing. He had tried. First he had been in a slump at the bottom of the stairs, and Will couldn't help but notice how bright and intelligent her eyes were, staring up at him. And then, when he was waiting for her to wake up, he could stop staring at her loosely curled brown hair and the perfect shape of her face. And then he wondered what the hell was wrong with him because he should not be having those thoughts about a girl who was in the hospital with a broken bone and a concussion because of him. Lightworm had deserved it, but not her. Not Tessa.

Then she was awake. And she was looking at him with those grey eyes of hers. Will, for once, didn't want to make a smart comment or inappropriate remark. He just wanted to make sure that she was okay. He had sat with her, and talked to her as the doctor and nurses came and went. He had tried to make her laugh, until he realized that laughing hurt her, so he settled for her smiles instead.

When they had walked together, they had talked about books, one of Will's favourite topics. He could tell that it was one of her favourites, too. He knew he was smiling like an idiot when he got back to his room.

Until he saw Jem curled up on his bed, facing the wall. He had forgotten what had happened. How could he have forgotten? He had pushed that asshole down a flight of stairs because of that!

"Jem," Will said softly. Jem didn't move. Will kicked off his shoes, walked over and sat on the edge of Jem's bed, putting his hand on Jem's shoulder.

Jem turned to lie flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. Will stayed silent. Eventually, Jem looked over at him.

"I'm sorry that that asshole said what he said. I'm sorry that he got to you. Usually he can't bother you. What changed?" Will kept his voice low.

"This time he was right."

Will said nothing.

"Not about us, of course. But… about me."

Jem was looking at him now, gauging his friend's reaction. He continued.

"I've known for a while. I wanted to tell you but… I thought it would change things between us. Not that you wouldn't be okay with it, but that things would be different. I couldn't risk it.

And then he came in and said exactly what I was afraid that you would think if I ever told you. You pushed him down the stairs but… he was absolutely right about me."

Jem finally lowered his gaze.

Will couldn't speak for a minute. He was furious. Not at Jem, of course. All this changed was who he tried to set Jem up with at bars. He was mad at Gabriel, and suddenly wished it had been a much longer flight of stairs. Once he regained his composure, he spoke.

"James. This changes nothing. We are what we have always been, and what we always will be; best friends and brothers." Will pulled him into a hug. "Don't ever believe what that asshole says about you. He may have been right about you being gay, but he sure as hell didn't need to put it the way he did."

Jem nodded slowly. A smile crept across his face.

"Thanks for pushing him down the stairs for me."

Will grinned.

"Any time."


	4. Chapter 4

Will did end up going to his classes the week after. He had settled into his seat in his Literature classroom, and already had his nose buried in a book he had brought with him to pass the time. He almost didn't notice Tessa come in. She was all flushed like she'd run to make in time for the start of class. She was practically glowing. Will didn't realizing he'd been holding his breath until she look at him and it all escaped at once.

She met his gaze and smiled hesitantly. He smiled back, and gave a small wave. She walked up and sat in the seat in front of him. He leaned down.

"Hello, Miss Gray."

"Hello, Mr. Herondale."

He was surprised, until he remembered that he'd signed the note with his full name.

"Please tell me you've moved on from The Lamplighter."

"Lady Audley's Secret." Was her response.

"Better," he said. "At least there's murder in that one."

The class started and the two students didn't have a chance to talk until the end.

"What do you have next?" Will asked.

"Sociology."

"You might be in Jem's class. He had Sociology today. Who's teaching?"

"Professor Nigel. But who's Jem?"

"You're almost certainly in his class then. Jem is my best friend. You should look for him; he's about my height, with a slender build and black hair. I'll text him and tell him to look out for you, too. I think you two would get along very well."

Tessa looked at Will suspiciously, and wondered for a moment if he was trying to set her up with one of his friends, but dismissed the thought. Will didn't seem the matchmaking sort.

"Have fun. Please watch your step. I'm sure he would like to meet you while you're alive."

"You're never going to stop teasing me about that, are you, Will?"

Tessa stared right into Will's eyes, almost daring him to keep going. It took him a moment to be able to speak.

"Never."

Tessa entered the Sociology class, with much more time to spare than she had had when getting to Literature. She searched the room for a boy who fit Will's description. About three quarters of the way back in the lecture hall, she found a boy who looked exactly as Will said he would, and raised a hand to her when he saw her come in.

Tessa took the seat beside him. The boy smiled brightly at her. He wasn't gorgeous the way Will was, but he was beautiful. Damn, Tessa thought, beautiful people really do flock together. She returned his smile.

"You must be Tessa," Jem said.

"And you must be Jem." Jem extended his hand to her.

"James Carstairs. Pleasure to meet you."

"You too."

Tessa had been about to ask Jem how he knew Will, but saw the boy pale as someone else came through the door of the classroom. It was another boy, blonde and somewhat lanky. Jem lowed his eyes. Tessa leaned toward him.

"Do you know that kid?"

"His name is Gabriel. Gabriel Lightwood. He's not… a nice guy. That's how he got those."

Tessa looked back at Gabriel and noticed the bruises on his arms.

"What happened to him?" Tessa asked. He didn't exactly look as if he'd been in a fight. Jem gave her a strange look.

"He fell down some stairs."

"Oh," said Tessa. "Wait, you mean someone pushed him?"

"Well, it was so much a push and it was that he lost his footing during a fight near the top of a staircase."

"When?" Tessa asked. Her eyes narrowed and focused on Jem.

Jem looked a little bit guilty. He ran his hand over the back of his neck.

"Last week."

"Gabriel falling down the stairs wouldn't have had anything to do with why Will was the one who found me, would it?"

Jem looked guiltier.

"Will let me think I tripped. You're saying that _I _got pushed?"

"Will didn't push you. Neither did Gabriel, really. But… Gabriel fell down the stairs as you were coming up them. He knocked you off balance. Then you tripped. So Will wasn't really lying."

Tessa was not amused. But she was still curious.

"What did Gabriel do to make Will push him down the stairs?"

"Gabriel said some… rather unkind things. About me. Will was fine until Gabriel went after me."

"You guys really are best friends, aren't you?" Said Tessa. She had no trouble imagining Will, furious on his friend's behalf, going whole-heartedly against Gabriel. The thought produced a small smile from her.

Jem was smiling, too. That is, until Gabriel noticed him.

And Gabriel, of course, couldn't just leave him alone. Because that would be a decent thing to do.

"You're wasting your time, sweetheart." Was his only greeting, directed toward Tessa. Jem looked a little embarrassed, but didn't lower his gaze.

"He may be pretty but he, you know," Gabriel leans in for a not-so conspiratorial stage whisper, "_plays for the other team."_

"What team?" Said Tessa. "The team of decent human beings able to make it thought their day without being unbearable pricks? Or were you referring to a team that could actually score? Because I feel somehow that assholes like you have some trouble with that."

Jem burst out into laughter. Now it was Gabriel's turn to turn red.

"Have a nice class, Gabriel," Tessa dismissed him.

Gabriel grudgingly turned and walked away. Jem looked at Tessa, his eyes shining; he was a little bit in awe, but mostly just entertained.

"What?" Tessa asked. "I don't like assholes, and I don't like bullies."

Jem was still laughing. "Thanks," he said. "That was some Will-level sass. I'm impressed."

Tessa's smile shrunk a little as Will's name brought her back to their previous conversation.

"Did what Gabriel said just now have anything to do with what caused Will to push him down the stairs?"

Jem looked at her, studying her expression.

"Yes," he said slowly. "But he wasn't quite as polite as he was today."

"Wow. Go Will. I mean, with the pushing-Gabriel-down-the-stairs thing. I wish I could have seen that. Actually, I guess I sort of did." Tessa looks deep in thought for a moment, and Jem laughs again.

"I've decided to blame my fall exclusively on Gabriel. I mean, yes, Will sort of pushed him, but Gabriel completely deserved it and I would have supported it whole-heartedly had I not been in Gabriel's path. But don't tell Will that. Just tell him that I know the part he played in my little tumble. I'd like to see him at least a little uncomfortable."

"Tessa Gray, I think we are going to get along splendidly."


	5. Chapter 5

"You are so screwed," Jem laughs, walking into his dorm room after class. Will looks up from his book, questioningly.

"Tessa," Jem says.

_Remember the girl I told you about? _

_Who fell down the stairs? _

_Her name is Tessa. She's in your next class_

_She'll be looking for you_

Jem had known something was up, but he figured that this Tessa was someone Will thought Jem would like. And he had liked her. He liked her very much. Especially because he knew that she was absolutely perfect for Will.

"What about her?" Will looks back down at his book.

"She's perfect for you and you know it. Man, you should have seen how she handled Gabriel today. You would have been proud."

"Lightworm's in your sociology class?" Will said with mild concern. He hated that Jem even had to look at that asshole.

"It won't be a problem. Now that you know, he's hasn't really got anything on me. And I have Tessa. I was going to tell him off myself, but she beat me to it."

Will smiles.

"Oh and I might of let slip that you pushed her down the stairs."

Will bolted upright.

"What the hell!? There's no way she's going to talk to me now! I broke her wrist and gave her a concussion!"

"Ah," Jem said with mock severity, "you'll just have to deal with that."

Will fell back on the bed and groaned.

"Soph, does Gideon have a brother?"

"Yeah," Sophie said, pulling her head out of her closet. "His name's Gabriel. He goes here, too, I think."

"Yup, he goes here. He's in my sociology class. And he's an asshole. I don't know how Gideon managed to turn out so well when his brother is…"

"Gideon got out of his father's house sooner; he did a study abroad semester in Madrid before transferring here."

"Is there something wrong with their father?" Tessa asked.

"I… I shouldn't really say. It's a family thing."

Tessa knew that it wasn't fair to push Sophie about something that wasn't hers to tell, so she dropped the issue. After a minute, though, Sophie brought the topic back up.

"What did Gabriel do?"

Tessa wondered now if she was the one who needed to be careful about someone else's secrets, even if she wasn't sure that it was a secret.

"He started messing with the guy I was sitting with. He wasn't saying anything to horrible today but… I know that he's been worse to this boy before."

"Who's the boy? Do I know him?"

"Um, Jem Carstairs."

"Oh!" Sophie giggled, and received a questioning look from Tessa.

"Jem was the boy I had a crush on before I met Gideon. So yes, I know him. What possessed you to sit with him?"

"A, um, mutual friend." Tessa mumbled.

"Jem doesn't have many close friends. I mean, pretty much everyone likes him, but he's inseparable from Will Herondale, so most people don't try to intrude. Wait, Will. You said the guy who waited with you in the infirmary and the walked you home was named Will. Oh my god I see why you were so flustered when you got home. I thought it was just the concussion but no, it was prolonged exposure to Will Herondale."

Sophie laughed. Tessa blushed.

"Please tell me he gave you his phone number."

"What? No," Tessa said quickly. "We just have a class together. That's all."

Tessa tried to sound firm, but didn't succeed very well. Sophie just laughed again.

"Oh, this is going to be fun to watch."

**Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapters! And thank you to those who reviewed. It means a lot to me!**


	6. Chapter 6

Will had tried to be a good student and go to all his classes. If nothing else, he never missed a Literature class (though classes had only started the week before so he had plenty of time left to break that streak). Tessa was… well, Tessa was amazing. She was smart, she was funny, and she took absolutely none of his crap. Will had difficulty concentrating in class. It took a great deal more self-restraint that he thought should have been necessary to reach out during the lecture and play with Tessa's curls.

He continued to sit behind Tessa because it meant that he could watch her unobserved. He tried not to be a creeper, but he couldn't help watching her hand running across the page, or the way her head tilted at an odd angle when she was concentrating.

Will had been telling himself that if it hadn't been for the fact that he was still terrified that Tessa was mad at him (she seemed friendly enough during class, but then you never really know what's going through someone's head, right?) then he would have asked her out long ago. It had absolutely nothing to do with how nervous she made him. Not at all.

He still didn't understand how she did it. With one glance, he would do whatever Tessa wanted him to. He was hopeless, and he knew it, too. Part of him was a little bit put out with it; he had always thought himself to have a rather strong character, yet here he was having to continuously remind himself not to play with this girl's hair. It was a bit pathetic, really. But it was totally worth it.

The first class Will did skip was economics. It was always a painful class, and he just wasn't up for it that day. So he did what he always did when skipping class; he went to the library. He rarely went to the biggest library on campus; he favoured a smaller one with a better selection of novels and a coffee shop with the best tea you could get on campus. Will strolled from between the shelves of books, wandering down the frequently-trod path to his favourite chair. The chair was nothing special; blue fabric and yellow stuffing by no means in good condition, but it was comfortable and afforded a good view of the courtyard. When a book proved disappointing, Will liked to sit and watch the other students below. People watching was a favourite hobby of his. There was something nice about being able to observe those who thought that no one was looking. He was aware that this too was a little bit creeper-ish, but he figured that it wasn't hurting anyone.

Will set his tea and bag on the ground, and returned to the shelves he'd just passed, looking for the day's amusement. He ran his fingers over the spine of The Lamplighter as he searched past it through the titles. He settled on The Picture of Dorian Gray. He'd heard a joke about it recently, and though he knew the premise, he realized that he'd never read it. So he plucked the novel from the shelf and returned to his chair.

At least an hour passed before he heard any sign of another human being. He registered nothing but the general direction of the other person, noticing only because it was rare for anyone to be this far back. Usually, it was either someone looking for something specific, or someone who was exploring the library. Will had just taken a sip of his tea, which was cold by then, when he saw Tessa emerge from among the books. In shock, he sputtered, some of his tea running down his chin before he was able to swallow it all down without choking. That was, of course, when Tessa noticed him; hunched forward in his chair, coughing his guts up, with tea running down his face.

Fantastic, he thought. Bloody fantastic.

He managed to stop coughing and right himself by the time Tessa had made her way to him.

"Ah… Um… Hi," Will stumbled. He really did hate that she had this effect on him. He looked like an idiot, and it was entirely her fault.

"Hi," she said, not quite laughing, but eyes shining like Will was the funniest thing she'd seen that day. "Having some trouble with your tea? I think you missed some," pointing at his chin.

Will wiped the stray tea off with the sleeve of his shirt, glaring at the beautiful girl who was laughing at him.

"What brings you to this fine corner of the library?" Will said, trying to sound collected as he set down his now empty paper cup on the window sill behind him.

"Books," Tessa said, as if it were the only reasonable answer. She reached over and plucked the book from Will's hand.

"Good old Dorian Gray. That Oscar Wilde managed to get that much gay subtext into a Gothic novel never fails to impress me." Will had to smile at that. Tessa returned his book to him.

"Are you looking for anything in particular? I spend a lot of time here; maybe I could be of service." Will had turned to look out the window as he said that, focusing his attention on two boys playing Frisbee.

"No, thanks. I'm just browsing. Jem said that this library has the best selection of novels."

"You discuss the school libraries in class?"

"No, I was texting him yesterday. We were talking about the campus and the libraries came up."

Tessa disappeared behind the shelves.

That disloyal bastard, Will thought. He has her phone number and didn't even tell me.

Then something else occurred to him, something he was still mulling over when Tessa reappeared.

"I'm surprised you made it this far back into the library on your first visit," he said. Looking at his hands. "I would have expected you to see something shiny near the front and get distracted. Most people do. It took me weeks to get back here, and I was here almost every day." Will raised his eyes to study Tessa, who was reading the dust jacket of a book she'd picked out.

"Oh, Jem told me that there were chairs back here that looked out over the courtyard, and that hardly ever had anyone in them." Will could have sworn that Tessa looked almost… embarrassed.

"He's right. It's rare that I see anyone when I'm back here, even if I'm here for hours."

There were three chairs, each in their own window, in the back corner of the library. Will had always thought it a bit strange that the other two were never taken. The view was great, the chairs were comfortable, and the sunlight was warm in the afternoon.

Tessa just nodded slowly. She turned and walked over to one of the other chairs. She smiled at Will, and then turned her attention back to her book, drawing her legs up beside her. Will pretended to keep reading. He managed not to look up more than twice every minute, but even when his eyes weren't on her, he was hyperaware of Tessa's presence.

Eventually, Will pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Jem.

_Thanks for giving me a heads up about Tessa._

_Asshole. _

It was less than a minute before Jem replied.

_J_

_Anytime._

Will groaned inwardly and leaned his head back against the chair.

Tessa tucked her hair behind her ear as she typed out her text.

_When you sent me to the back of the library, you wouldn't have happened to know that Will would be there, did you? _

Jem must have been glued to his phone, Tessa thought. He answered not thirty seconds later.

_Whoops I must have forgotten to mention that. _

_Yeah, he's there pretty much every day. _

_*smiling devil emoji*_

Tessa glared at her phone.

_You are a mean, mean friend. _

Jem replied quickly again.

_Somehow, I think you'll forgive me._

So Jem had left her essentially alone with Will. Now she was never going to get any reading done. How was she supposed to with him sitting there all… perfect. With his stupid black curls falling into his stupid blue eyes with his head bowed over a book. It was hard enough in class, knowing that he was right behind her. People shouldn't be allowed to be that distracting. Honestly, the boy could cause traffic accidents just by walking down the sidewalk.

Tessa knew she would never be able to concentrate, so she texted Sophie instead.

_Jem set me up._

_Go to this library, he said._

_It has such an amazing novels section, he said._

_And comfy chairs. _

_He just conveniently left out the part where Will spends half his time here. _

Sophie took longer to reply then Jem had. Tessa blushed when it occurred to her that Sophie's delayed response had something to do with the fact that Sophie was hanging out with Gideon this afternoon. In his apartment. She was about to be extremely embarrassed when Sophie texted her back.

_Sorry; went out to get pizza and forgot my phone._

_I fail to see the problem here._

_You, my brilliant and gorgeous best friend + brilliant and gorgeous boy + secluded location_

_Seriously what's the issue_

Sophie had actually succeeded in making her _more _nervous.

_I just came here to read_

_And now I can't concentrate and he makes me nervous and I'm going to end up acting like a freaking moron._

Tessa was beginning to think that maybe she should have ignored the issue and just pretended to read. Sophie texted back.

_Okay, okay. _

_Here's what you need to do._

_You just need to walk up to him calmly_

_And ask him out_

Tessa was in the middle of typing her frantic reply when someone cleared their voice right beside her.

"Jesus Christ!" She jumped halfway out of her seat.

Will looked a bit abashed. Tessa hated how attractive she found it.

"I, uh, sorry. I thought you would have heard me coming."

Now his cheeks were definitely tinged with red.

"I was wondering, um, if you'd like to join me for some tea."

Tessa had to remind herself to close her mouth. Will had asked her out. She wasn't able to answer for a moment, but then she gave Will a sweet smile and agreed to the date. Seeing Will so nervous gave her a little bit more confidence.

"On one condition," Tessa said slowly, and Will's eyes snapped up to meet her own.

"If you're going to spit your tea out again, try not to get any on me."


	7. Chapter 7

Tessa collapsed on her bed. She registered that Sophie had started talking to her as soon as she came in, but was too far into her own little world to hear her. Tessa wasn't sure if she'd ever smiled this much. She rolled over, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to her chest as if the pressure would do something to help the feeling in her chest. She was so happy it _hurt_. She would have stayed like that for a good long while, but Sophie jumped on her, rolling her into a hug on the bed which really wasn't big enough for the two of them.

"Agh! Get off!" Tessa laughed, a grin lighting up her entire face.

Sophie pointed an accusing finger.

"You have not been answering my texts. I want a full report. I need DETAILS."

Sophie leaned back against the concrete wall of the dorm, tucking her hair behind her ear and grabbing a pillow as if settling in for story time. Tessa was smiling so widely that her face heart, and she just looked at her friend for a minute.

"I… We… It was good." Tessa managed to say.

"Good?" Sophie said, raising her eyebrows. "Honey, I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much. Seriously, I'm a little bit concerned for your facial muscles."

"Okay it was better than good. It was… wonderful." Tessa shoved her face down into the pillow she was holding, her blush creeping up to her ears. Eventually, she peeked at Sophie, who gestured at her to go on.

"Well, um," Tessa gulped for air. "We met in the library, which Jem totally set up, by the way. And he was just there and I thought I was shocked but when he saw me he choked on his tea. And then I tried to read and that's when I texted you but I didn't think I could ever go over to him and I was freaking out big time because he's smart and funny and was reading Oscar Wilde."

"Nerd," Sophie interjected affectionately.

"And I just… I tried to sit there and ignore him which I knew was never going to work and all of a sudden he was beside me and he asked me to have tea with him so I did. We walked to this café and he asked about my major and about you and about books and about a whole bunch of other things and we just talked and talked. God, I've never been that nervous or self-conscious in my life but at the same time it was just so… comfortable. It felt good talking to him; like I could say something and he would understand." The hyper rambling began to die down, and Tessa continued more calmly.

"He was nice. And he's gorgeous, which may be a plus or a minus I can't really say because on one hand I can't look at him and form a coherent sentence but on the other… Sophie I don't know if I've ever had a crush like this before." Tessa blushed, grinned, and buried her face back in her pillow.

Sophie ran her hand comfortingly over her friend's back, shaking with laughter.  
>"I'm glad he makes you happy." She paused for a moment.<p>

"What happens now?"

"He's asked me to dinner," came a mumble from the pillow.

"When?" Sophie asked.

"Tomorrow," Tessa said, a little more clearly.

"Eeeeeee yay! This is going to be so much fun! I'm totally helping you get ready."

Sophie kept talking excitedly for a little while, but Tessa was gone again, reliving her perfect afternoon.

Will shut the door to his dorm room behind him, sliding down it slowly until he was sitting of the floor with his head just below the doorknob. He wasn't smiling widely like Tessa was, but rather a small smile as he leaned his head back against the door, his eyes closed. He wasn't showing it like Tessa had, not yet anyway, but instead he just sat there and radiated pure happiness. James turned from where he had been practicing his violin at the window.

He appraised his friend, and a smile spread across his face. Will still had his eyes closed.

"So," Jem asked innocently. "How was the library? Read anything good?"

"Since you asked, the library was awesome, thanks." Will's smile spread a little. He opened one eye to look at his friend, and the dissolved completely into a grin.

Jem laughed, his eyes shining. He was done being mischievous for the moment, and settled for being absolutely thrilled for his friend. "Did you have a good time?" he said with a laugh.

"I didn't want to come home! I could have sat there for hours more listening to her talk. I want to know more about her brother and her friends and the cat she wants to get when she has her own apartment. I want to talk to her about books; every book she's ever read and everything she thought about it. I would like to partake in several other activities with her, many of which cannot take place in public without leading to our arrest."

At that, Jem really laughed. He knew his friend well enough to know that he wouldn't touch Tessa; not like that, not yet. He would seek intimacy in other ways before he sought it physically. Not that a good make out session wouldn't do him good, Jem thought.

"You like her. I've never seen you get this way about anyone. I've done my part; now what are you going to do about it?"

"I asked her to dinner. Tomorrow," Will said with a gulp. Suddenly, he was as nervous as he had been when he had approached Tessa in the library.

"Good start," Jem said. "You two will have fun."

"Where do I take her? I don't know what kind of food she likes. We could get Italian. But what if she hates Italian. But who could hate Italian?"

"Will, you're rambling."

"Sorry."

"Would you like me to find out what kind of food she likes?"

"What?! No! You can't ask her! She'll know you're asking for me and then I'll look ridiculous!"

"Calm down; I'm not going to ask her. I'm going to ask an old friend of mine."

Jem pulled out his phone.

_Soph, what kind of food does Tessa like?_

He waited a few moments before his phone buzzed in response.

_She likes Japanese, Thai, Italian and Middle Eastern. She hates Greek. She likes Mexican, but only when there's no cilantro. She absolutely DESTESTS cilantro._

Jem looked up from his phone. "You're safe with Italian, but she also likes Japanese, Thai and Middle Eastern."

"Who's this friend of yours who knows her that well?"

"Sorry," Jem said with a grin. "That's confidential."

"So which do I pick?"

"Why not stick with Italian? You've already scoped out all the good restaurants in the area. Wow her with your deep knowledge of pastas."

Will chucked a pillow at him, and the boys dissolved into a dramatic pillow fight.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey everybody._

_Thanks to everyone who's reading this, especially those of you who comment. It means a lot to me._

_This chapter might not be what some of you wanted, but I've had this in mind from the beginning, and is just a part of the character development for me. _

_Hope you enjoy._

**SIX WEEKS LATER**

"Will, Tess, you're on snack duty. Soph and I will grab the movie and blankets. Meet you in the common room in 5." Gideon semi-shouted from the door of the girls' dorm room as Will and Tessa rounded the corner into the hall.

The couple dropped their coats and bags and obligingly raided the mini fridge for drinks and then headed to the kitchen to make the popcorn. Weekly movie night had become a much-loved tradition with the two couples. Sophie had suggested it the first Saturday after Will and Tessa's eventful afternoon in the library. She had wanted to meet Will again, now that he was important to Tessa and not just another pretty boy for her to appreciate. Jem had been invited too, once, but he had declared that he didn't enjoy being a 5th wheel, and opted to forgo the (admittedly PG) cuddlefest that was movie night.

Will was leaning against the counter, waiting for the popcorn to finish as Tessa cleaned one of the bowls, having not found it to have been sufficiently scrubbed by the person who had put it back in the cupboard. He glanced over at Tessa, who had managed to accumulate a rather impressive amount of bubbles considering that she was only washing the one bowl.

He couldn't resist.

Will reached over and flicked some bubbles at Tessa. He laughed when he managed to get some to stay in her hair. She retaliated, splashing water at him. Soon, the bowl was forgotten and their playful splashing ended with Tessa up against the counter and Will kissing her enthusiastically.

"Not in the kitchen, please," said a voice from the hallway; one of the other girls on the dorm floor.

"Sorry Jess!" Tessa said as clearly as she could from where her head was, buried in Will's shoulder. Tessa couldn't help laughing. Will laughed along with her. They returned to their tasks, and the popcorn managed to end up in a clean, dry bowl. They headed over to common room.

Sophie and Gideon were set up on one of the couches; Gideon sat upright in the corner with his feet on the foot stool, with Sophie's head resting on a pillow in his lap. The title screen of the DVD was playing, and he was playing mindlessly with her hair.

Tessa set the popcorn down on the coffee table and sunk into the couch beside Will as Gideon hit play.

Both couples watched the movie happily, content with the warm familiarity of the setting. Will still couldn't believe that this was his normal; that he got to have Tessa as part of his everyday life. It had only been a month and a half, and he never wanted it to change. They were happy. Will found Tessa watching him instead of the movie, and leaned over to give her an innocent kiss. She went back to using his shoulder as a pillow.

Gideon's phone went off, not a text but a call. He glanced at the caller ID and paused the movie, leaving the common room to take it.

"Who is it?" Tessa asked Sophie.

"Gabriel," Sophie replied. She looked concerned.

"Is everything… alright?" Tessa was reluctant to ask after Gabriel's wellbeing. She still thought he was an asshole, even though she had been led to believe by Sophie's hints that there was more going on with that boy than he let on.

"I don't know. He's been having some… I can't really tell you. I know you don't like him, but he has his reasons. Not that he's never totally out of line but…"

"But he has to take it out on someone." Gideon finished Sophie's sentence as he walked back into the room. "I know that Gabriel is a dick a lot of the time, especially to one specific friend we all have in common." Gideon ran his hand over the back of his neck.

"He needs help. I don't know if I'm enough anymore. Maybe if some other people understood, it would help him." Gideon returned to his couch, turning to Will and Tessa. Sophie sat up and put her hand on his knee, tracing circles with her thumb comfortingly.

"Our dad isn't the nicest guy. He never has been. He's given both of us a hard time about a lot of different things over the years but… it's gotten a lot worse for Gabriel recently. Gabriel tried to do something brave but it blew up in his face.

Gabriel had a crush. On a guy. He denied it for a long time, but eventually he kind of couldn't ignore it anymore. I think it made sense to him, in a way. It explained some things for him. He told me first, and I was totally okay with it, but then… he tried to tell our dad. And things went south. The two of them hardly talk now and when they do, things get ugly. I know my dad has said a lot of things to Gabriel; called him a lot of things. And Gabriel took it hard."

Will was still as a statue, his blue eyes staring at Gideon. Tessa's face was twisted with concern.

"Gabriel took it out on the only person he could think of; the person he blamed, in a way. He took it out on Jem much the same way our dad went after him. There were some things, though, I know our dad said that even Gabriel wouldn't repeat."

"The boy Gabriel had a crush on… It was Jem." Tessa said quietly. Gideon nodded.

"Gabriel told me everything after a certain incident involving some stairs." Gideon looked pointedly at Will. "He knew that he was being an asshole, but he just couldn't deal without it."

"I still hate him for hurting Jem. But I would be lying if I said I didn't pity him, too," Will said. "So what do you want us to do?"

Gideon thought about that for a moment. "Tell Jem. He should know, too. Gabriel may not thank me for that, but I think Jem deserves some sort of explanation. Who knows; if he knows the story, Jem might even be able to get some sense into him. That boy is an angel, I swear. I've never met a kinder person. But I have no doubt that he could kick Gabriel's ass into shape if he needed to."

Will huffed in agreement. He met Tessa's eyes.

"We'll tell him," Tessa said, speaking for them both.

"Good."

Gideon hit the play button on the tv, and the two couples settled down for the rest of the movie which didn't hold nearly as much of their interest as it had.


	9. Chapter 9

**8 MONTHS LATER**

"Which box is the cutlery in?" Will asked, poking his head from around a large brown movie box as he sat on the floor of the new apartment. _Their _new apartment. He remembered the tentative conversation that took place when he asked Tessa if she would live with him. He was graduating but had found a job at a marketing company nearby, and she had one year left of school. He knew that she could decline and finish her last year in residence but… he hoped. And now he was sitting on the floor of _their_ kitchen.

Tessa's voice echoed from down the hall where she was folding towels into the linen cupboard. "The one by the dishwasher." Will nodded quickly and spun around, tipping the box to that he could see inside.

There was a knock at the front door. Will got up from the linoleum floor and padded over to answer it. Jem was standing with a box, his dark hair slipping into his eyes while he didn't have a free hand to remove it. Will took the box from his friend with one hand, putting his other on Jem's shoulder to pull him inside. Jem looked at Will and grinned. Will moved to shut the door, but Jem stopped him.

"Wait a second; Gabriel's behind me. Somewhere. I think something fell out of his box about halfway up the stairs. He'll be here in a second."

That was still weird for Will. He and Tessa had told Jem everything the night they found out about Gabriel. Jem did nothing about it, for a little while. It was almost a month before he approached Gabriel. Will wasn't quite sure what he said; all Tessa knew was that Jem sought Gabriel out one day in class. After that, the two boys entered into a somewhat uneasy acquaintance. Jem _was _a saint, at least in Will's eyes, so he didn't hold too much of a grudge against his new, well, friend. Jem started talking to Gabriel more and more. He said he'd been trying to help him deal with what was going on with his dad. Then, about four months ago, Benedict Lightwood passed away of some illness he'd contracted. Gabriel was devastated but after that… he got better. He was less arrogant, less of an asshole. He became quieter but kinder. Jem and he Gabriel got even closer after that. One day, Will walked into his and Jem's dorm room to find Jem and Gabriel making out against one of the walls. After the appropriate best friend warning consisting of a threat to push him down the stairs again, Will had invited both Gabriel and Jem to movie night that Saturday.

Gabriel was still an asshole some times, but then again, who wasn't. Will propped open the door and went back into the kitchen. Jem followed, and they found Tessa waiting for them, sitting on one of the countertops, swinging her feet.

"Hello, Jem," she greeted her friend warmly.

"Hello Tessa. Congratulations on your move in."

Tessa was exuding contentment. She was bouncing up and down, unable to sit still for excitement. Jem loved seeing his friends so happy.

"Jem?" Gabriel called from the door.

"We're in the kitchen," he answered. The tall blonde boy entered the now somewhat crowded kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Jem's middle, and the two leaned comfortably that way against the cabinets

"Are you two staying to help with furniture assembly?" Tessa asked.

"Su-"

"No we're heading to a movie. And leaving now," Jem cut Gabriel off. "Have a nice time moving in. We'll see you Saturday. Remember, you're hosting."

Jem took Gabriel's hand and pulled him out of the apartment.

"Weirdos," Tessa muttered, hopping off the counter and leaning over to look through a box. She felt Will's hands at her waist. She straightened as he began kissing her neck.

"I believe that our friends," Will said, his lips making contact with her skin again, "wanted to give us some alone time in our new house."

"And how do you propose we use this alone time?" Tessa managed to breathe.

"I think we could come up a few things."

Tessa turned around and brought Will's mouth hard to hers.

**2 YEARS LATER**

Will lay on Jem's bed, staring at his ceiling.

"What do I do? What do I do? I don't know if I can do it."

Jem was sitting in his chair at the window.

"Of course you can do it. You love Tessa." That wasn't a question, it was a statement. It felt like the most truthful statement of Will's existence.

"More than anything."

"Then you can do it. As for the how, or the what or the when, it's up to you. You know her. You know yourself. You're the one who has the answer. You'll be amazing; don't worry."

"Will, where are we going?" Tessa pleaded for an answer, laughing as she stumbled blindly over a crack in the sidewalk. That was the fourth time she'd almost fallen, despite Will hands, one on her elbow and one on the small of her back.

"Trust me," Will said quietly. We're almost there. They entered a building. Will led Tessa up some stairs, and navigated her through what seemed to her like endless obstacles. He took her by the waist, turned her around until the backs of her calves were up against a chair where he asked her to sit. Tessa obliged, slightly sad when Will broke contact.

She heard him let out a slow breath.

"Tessa, take off the blindfold."

They were in the library. The campus library, the one where Will had first asked her out, and where they had really kissed for the first time, and where they spent countless afternoons sitting in the sunlight reading together in companionable silence. Will was in front of her, and it took a moment for Tessa to realize what was going on.

"Oh my god," she said quietly. Will stared up at her with his deep blue eyes, intensely focused on her own.

"Tessa Gray, I love you more than anything, in this world or the next. I never want to spend a day of my life without you by my side. Would you please, please do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Tessa's wide eyes filled with tears, and she nodded mutely. Will took the ring from the box he had been holding carefully in his hand, and slipped it onto her finger. Tessa placed her hands on either side of Will's face and kissed him. She felt ridiculous; she was engaged and all she could manage to do was cry and laugh at the same time. She moved out of the chair onto her knees so that she was face to face with Will.

"I love you," she said with more sincerity than she had ever said anything before. "I didn't know I could love anyone as much as I love you. You are my equal in every way, and nothing would make me happier than being able to stay with you for the rest of my life."

They sat there, on the floor of the library, for hours. Talking like they had on that first day. Tessa laughed, saying that Will really should have proposed at the bottom of the stairwell where he'd found her. He honestly admitted that he had considered it. They talked about their wedding, and their future. It got late, and they went for dinner at the Italian restaurant where they had gone on their first proper date. They went to visit Jem and Gabriel, would welcomed them with warms hugs and much enthusiastic cheering. Sophie and Gideon were there, too. Apparently Jem had alerted Sophie to Will's plans for the evening, and thought that they should be all together to celebrate when the couple came to share the news.

Gathered in Jem's living room, surrounded by their friends, Will and Tessa spent their evening happily, and went home to enjoy an even better night.


	10. Epilogue

Jem and Gabriel were together for three years. They tried to make it work, but decided to part amicable. They remain friends. Gabriel discovered that he was not solely attracted to men, and began dating Cecily Herondale, Wills' younger sister. Jem found himself dating another musician. He and Henry lived happily together for many years, and eventually adopted a daughter, Clara.

Sophie and Gideon married, much to the delight of their friends. Sophie went on to run a bakery, and Gideon went into the world of law enforcement.

Will and Tessa opened a book shop together, eventually. With the help of their family and friends, they created lives for themselves. Eventually, they had children. James and Lucie were raised in a home filled with love and books.

When their children asked them how they met, Tessa looked at Will and said simply "He was the first person I saw in the hospital after Uncle Gabriel pushed me down a flight of stairs." Will smiled, thinking how wonderful it was that he got so much more than a smile out of pushing someone deservedly down the stairs.

**Thank you so much for your encouraging comments and for reading this to the end. **

**This was a lot of fun to write. It's far from perfect, but it was a good place to start. Hopefully my writing will improve and I'll be able to continue writing stories to make people happy.**

**I hope you enjoyed.**

**(For any music fans reading this, if you were looking for some songs that will give you Herongray feels, I would suggest Beneath Your Beautiful by Emeli Sandre or Hearbreak Coverup by Jesse Labelle. The second one applies much more to the books than to this fanfiction, and the first applies more to this fanfiction than to the books.)**


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